Stop mechanism for self-playing musical instruments.



No. 870,744. PATBNTED NOV. 12. 1907. B. C. PECK.

STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION nun APB.23,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.1.

No. 870,744. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

B. c. PEGK. STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;

APPLICATION FILED APR.23, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Z5OII UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

BENJAMIN o. PEOK, OF-NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROTH & ENGELHARDT, OFNEW YORK,

N. Y., A FIRM.

STOP MECHANISM FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed April 23. 1907. Serial No. 369,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, BENJAMIN G. PEcK, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, Manhattan, county and State of New York, haveinvented new anduseful Improvements in Stop Mechanism for Self'PlayingMusical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. I i

This invention relates to an improved mechanism for opening thepower-controlling .switch of an electrically operated piano or similarmusical instrument by means of the perforations in the tunesheet. Theswitch-operating perforations of such sheet are the same as are used foractuating the'tone producers, so

that the width of thesheet need not be increased for the accommodationof additional switch-operating perforations, The construction is suchthat in order to open the switch, not a single, but two hammeroperatingducts of the tracker-bar must be simultaneously uncovered, saidducts'being so selected as to control adjoining notes which are notsounded simultaneously. If either one of such ducts is uncovered,without uncovering the other duct, the note corresponding thereto willbe sounded, but no effect will be had upon the switch. When, however,both ducts are simultaneously uncovered, neither of the notescorresponding thereto will be sounded, but the switch will be opened. Inthis way the switch" is readily controlled by the sound-producingperforations of the music sheet, while a discord at the end of the musicplayed is prevented.

/ In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation showingthe principal parts of my improved stop mechanism; Fig. 2 a rear view ofpart thereof;

Fig. 3 a vertical section on liiie 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a

.35 face view of the auxiliary bellows with the clac k' valve removed;Fig. 5 a similar view showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 6a section on line 66,

Fig. 7; Fig. '7 alongitudinal section of the auxiliary bellows complete;Fig. 8 a detail of the locking means for the hammer-actuating bellows;Fig. 9 adetail of .part of the duct-bridge and tune-sheet, and Fig. 10 adiagram illustratingthe relative arrangement of the parts. i Anauxiliary bellows 10 is arranged intermediate two key-operating bellows11, 12, and the switch 13. The fixed board 14 of bellows 10 is providedwith a pair of ducts 15, 16, that communicate by tubes l7, 18, withprimary pneumatics intermediate bellows 11, 12, and bellows l0, andwhich will be hereinafter 50 more fully described. Ducts 15, 16 openinto opposite sides of a common intermediate chamber 19 of board 14,which, in turn, communicates with the interior of bellows 10. Withinchamber 19 is contained a movable member shown to consist of a valve ortongue 20 having a felted head 21 which projects across the inner endsof ducts 15, 16. This head is somewhat narrower than the width ofchamber 19, and is free to be deflected laterally by suction withineither one of ducts 15, 16, so as to draw the valve against such ductand prevent a vacuum to be formed in chamber 19 and bellows 10. If,however, suction simultaneously takes place in both ducts 15, 16, valve20 will remain centered and suction will thus be produced in chamber 19and bellows 10, to collapse the latter. This collapse of bellows 10 willactuate the switch 13 by an intermediate pneumatic 30, in mannerhereinafter described. i

To fixed board 14 is hinged at 22, a clack-valve 23 influenced by aspring 24 and adapted. to normally 'close the opening of an elbow-shapedair inlet 25 formed in said board. Through the'free end of valve 23passes the stem of an adjustable button or abutment 26 cooperating witha similar button or abutment 27 of movable board 28. When" bellows 10 isexpanded (Fig. 1), valve 23 will close inlet 25. When, however, thebellows is contracted, valve 23 will be opened by buttons 26, 27, toadmit air into inlet '25, (Fig. 7). This inlet communicates by tube 29with a pneumatic 30, so constructed, that when air is-adnritted theretoby tube 29, an exhaust tube 31 will be placed under suction. Thepneumatic 30 is preferably of the same construction as that shown inPatent No. 741,072,='granted to A. P. Roth, October 13, 1903.

Briefly stated, a common vacuum chest 32, from which air is constantlyexhausted, is adapted to communicate with a channel 33 through a duct 34controlled by a valve 35. The latter is actuated by a pin '36 on bellows37, the intei 'ior of which communicates with tube 29 through duct 38'.Thus, if air is admitted to the latter, bellows 37 will expand to openvalve 35 and simultaneously close a vent 39. In this way channel 33, andconsequently tube 31 which communicates therewith, isplaced undervacuum. Tube 31 corn-' municates, in turn, with a bellows 40 which isadapted to open an electric switch by which the power is cut off fromthe instrument. This switch is preferably of the construction shown inPatent No. 786,899, grantedto A. I. Hobart, April 11, 1905. It consists,essentially, o f'a switch-knife 41 adapted to engage contacts 42 toclose the circuit. When bellows 40 is collapsed, it will, by plunger 43,tilt knife 41 to open the switch and thereby stop the music. Knife 41 isheld in its open position by a coin-operated lever 44, until the latteris tilted by the introduction of a coin through chute 45.

The switch-operating device above described may be used on any pneumaticinstrument controlled by a music-sheet, the drawings showing it appliedto an autopneumatic piano.

ing the switch have, in common with all the other hammer-actuatingbellows 46, the functionto normally operate the hammers of the piano bymeans oi bellcrank 47 and abstract 48. Each of the bellows ll, 12,

- 46, etc., communicates through a tube 49, with a pneumatic 50,which-is in all respects similar to pneumatic 30. These pneumatics areconnected by tubes 51 with two adjoining openings 52, 53, of theduct-bridge 54. When either one of these'openings is uncovered by theperforated music-sheet 55, such opening will admit air. into tube 51 andthereby place the tube 49 under suction in manner previously described,so that the hammer-actuating .bellows is collapsed and the note. issounded. Y 1'; The two neumatics 50 which communicate with bellows 11,12, respectively, are not only connected to such bellows, but also tobellows lOby the tubes 17 and 18; That is to say, pneumatic 50 ofbellows 11 communicates through tube 17 with duct 15, whilev pneumatic50 of bellows l2 communicates through tube' 18 with duct -16. In thisWay, when two adjoining and laterally alined openings in the tune-sheetsimultaneously uncover the two' openings 52, 53 of the duct- 4 bridge,air will, through tubes 51, be admitted to pneumatics 50, which will, inturn, simultaneously exhaust air in both of the ducts 15, 16. Inthis waybellows 10 will collapse to admit air through tube 29 into hel lows 37,and thus place tube 31 under suction, whereby bellows .40 will becollapsed .to tilt switch-kniie 41' by plunger 43. The playing ofthe'instrument will thus be immediatblystopped, which is the resultdesired.-

Means are provided for-preventing both bello'ws'll, 12;.irom beingsimultaneously collapsed, so that any discords produced by thesimultaneous sounding of the two notes controlled bysaid bellows isprevented at the end of each piece ,ot' music played. These means are asfollows: From each of the bellows 11, 12 projects a.hook 56.Intermediate bellows ll, 12 there is iulcrumed to a fixed support 57, atwo-arm lever '58-- having cushionecbends 59, which extend acrossth'epaths of hooks 56, and are arranged at a slightdistance therefrom.' Ifair is exhausted from bellows 11 only, it is free to collapse, by reasonof the play of lever 58,

in order to sound the note. In like manner, ii bellows 12 is collapsedalone, its note will be freely sounded. But, if both bellows are.simultaneously exhausted,

they will not collapse suiiiciently'to sound the notesf owing to theengagement"ortheir HGJRsEd with the headed ends 59 of lever 58. In thisway the two pneu- "matics 50, 50 which are connected to bellows 11, 12and also to bellows 10 will either sound one of the notes withoutsounding the other note, or they will open theswit ch tostop the piano,in which case neither of the notes willbe sounded, H Thus, it will beseen that the perforations of the duct-bridge that normally sound thenotes, assume the additional function of shutting 0H the power at theend of thepiece played; without in any way impairing the true andcorrect rendering of such piece.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a bellows having a pair ofducts, and a valve adapted to be sucked against one and also against theother of said ducts, substantlally as specified.

2. 'In a device of the character described, a bellows having a pair ofducts that communicate with the interior of such bellows, combined witha valve adapted to be sucked against one and also against the other ofsaid ducts, substantlally as specified.

5. In a device of the character described, a bellows hav-' ing a pair orducts, an intermediate valve,-an air inlet,

and means fouopening said inlet upon the collapse of thebellows,substantially as specified.

6. In adevice of the character described, a bellows having a pair ofducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, a

clack-valve controlling the same, and. a pair of abutments for openingsaid valve upon the collapse of the bellows, substantially as specified.

7. In a device'ot' the character described, a bellows having a pair ofducts, and means for establishing communication between both of saidducts and the interior of the bell ws by a simultaneous exhaust chairfrom both ducts and fondisconnecting either of said ducts from saidinteriorv of the bellows by an exhaust or air from said ductunaccompanied by a simultaneous exhaust of air from the other duct,substantially as specified.

8. In adevice 01 the character described, a bellows having a pair ofducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, means for opening said inletupon the collapse of the bellows, a switch, and means controlled by theair inlet for 7 opening said switch, substantially as specified.

9. In a device or the character described, a first bellows --having apair of ducts, an intermediate valve, an air inlet, means for openingsaid inlet upon the collapse oi. the bellows, a second bellowscontrolled by the air inlet, and an electric switch having a movablemember adapted to be actuated by said second bellows, substantially asspecified 10. in a device of the character described, a pair of primarypneumatics, a first bellows, a hammer operated thereby, a secondbellows, a switch operated thereby, means for operatively connecting thepneumatics with the first bellows, and means for operatively connectingsaid pneumatlcs -with the second bellows, substantially as specified. II

11. In a device of the character described, a pair ofprimary-pncumatics, a 'pair of bellows, a pair of hammers operatedthereby, means for operatively connecting the pneumatic-s with thebellows, and means for locking said bellows against 'simultaneousmovement, substantially as specified.

12. in a device of the character described, a-pair ofprimary pneumatics,a pair olfHtirst bellowsjd pair of hammegs,operatedthefeliy a secondbellows, a switch op- .erated thereby, means for operatively connectingthe pneumatlcs with the pair of'first bellows, means for locking saidbellows against simultaneous movement, and means for operativelyconnecting the pneumatics with the second bellows, substantially asspecified.

13. In a device of thecharacter described, a pair of bellows, a pairof-hammers operated thereby, hooks securd 'tothe bellows, and 'a two-armlever centrally pivoted between the bellows and arranged in the path orsaid hooks, substantially as specified.

' 14. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having apair of adjoining openings, a switch, a pair of hammers, meanscontrolled by the openings for opening 'the switch by the simultaneousuncovering or both such openings, and means controlled'by the openingsfor operating the hammers by the separate uncovering of such opcnlugs,substantially as specified.

'15. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pairof adjoining openings, auxiliary bellows having a pair of ductscontrolled by said openings, a valve adapted to be sucked against eitherof said ducts, a

switch, and means controlled by said bellows for opening the switch,substantially as specified.

16. In a device or the character described, a duct-bridge having a pairof adjoining openings, a hammer, means or actuating the hammer, aswitch, means for opening the switch, means for operatively connectingsaid openings to the hammer-actuating means, and separate means forconnecting said openings to the switch-opening means, substantially asspecified.

17. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pairof openings, a pair or pneumatics connected thereto, a pair of bellowscontrolled by the pneumatics, a pair of hammers actuated by saidbellows, an auxiliary bellows also controlled by the pneumatics, and aswitch controlled by said auxiliary bellows, substantially as specified.

18. In a device of the character described, a duct-bridge having a pairof openings, a pair of pneumatics connected thereto, a pair of bellowscontrolled by the pneumatics, a pair 0! hammers actuated by the bellows,an auxiliary bellows also controlled by the pneumatics, an additionalpneumatic controlled by the auxiliary bellows, a switch, and a bellowstor opening the switch connected to the additional pneumatics,substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) N. Y., this 22nd day ofApril, 1907.

FRANK v. Bnmsmz, Wmnnnl Scmmz.

